The youngest are most at-risk: Early childhood development in complex crises

Hosted by The Center for Disaster Philanthropy

One in five children is chronically malnourished. More than 500 million children live in areas prone to flooding. More than 400 million children live in countries that experience violent conflicts. Tens of millions of children have been forced to leave their homes due to poverty or conflicts. More than half of civilians killed by landmines and explosive remnants of war are children. COVID-19 disrupted schooling for 94% of the world’s children.  

These statistics from UNICEF paint a startling picture of the impact of environmental disasters and complex humanitarian emergencies (CHEs) on children. Early childhood development indicators in complex crises signal a gap in overall humanitarian response mechanisms, funding and architecture that global philanthropy is filling and trying to change.  

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy is hosting a webinar to highlight how funders can support child development across the globe, with a particular focus on children in CHEs. It will explore promising practices for supporting children in crisis, examine the gaps in service delivery and discuss funding opportunities.  

At the end of the webinar, funders will: 

1. Have an increased understanding of the issues affecting children in crisis.
2. Identify ways to support early childhood development amid violence, conflict, displacement and poverty.
3. Learn more about current needs and issues from case studies, including Afghanistan.  

While aimed at funders, it may also be of interest to emergency managers, academics, disaster responders and NGO staff interested in or working on disasters and other crises.